a stimulus, whether internal or external, that activates information stored in long-term memory

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What is a flashbulb memory?

Recollections that seem so vivid & clear that we can picture them as if they were snapshots of moments in time.

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What is the encoding specificity principle?

memory is enhanced when conditions present during retrieval match those that were present during encoding. Therefore when stimuli associated with an event become encoded as part of the memory, they may later serve as retrieval cues.

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What is context dependent memory?

: applying the principle to external cues leads us to this theory. It is typically easier to remember something in the same environment in which it was originally encoded

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What is state dependent memory?

applying the principle to internal cues- this theory proposes that it is typically easier to remember something when our internal state at the time of retrieval matches our original state during learning.

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What is mood congruent recall?

we tend to recall information or events that are congruent with our current mood. n.b. arousal and drug use also affect this. E.g. difficult to remember acts committed when drunk after you sober up.

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How did Ebbinghaus study the course of forgetting?

By learning nonsense syllables- a list of over 420 of them

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What did he find?

Forgetting initially occurred rapidly (i.e. about half the information might be lost in the first 20 mins) but it slowed down so that only a further 20% would be lost over the course of a month.

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What does more recent research suggest?

The pattern may be true, but the length of time of forgetting is much longer. . Ebbinghaus’ rate of forgetting was faster because he learnt such a lot of material & it was nonsense rather than meaningful

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What is Reminiscence?

The case when older memories do not always disappear first- and in some cases, participants are able to recall more on second testings than on first

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What is tip of tongue state?

we cannot recall something but feel that we are on the verge of remembering it

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What is repression?

A motivational process that protects us by blocking the recall of anxiety-arousing memories

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What is prospective memory? Retrospective memory?

Remembering to perform an activity in the future. Retrospective = Memory for past events.